What is a Hot Take?
A hot take is a strong opinion, shared quickly, that goes against what most people in your field say. On social media, it's a post that states the view in the first line and gives one reason for it. The aim is replies and a conversation, not likes.
4 trends
Angles inside this type
4 formats
Shapes it suits
Replies
What this type earns
Fortnightly
How often it earns a slot
Example
An example hot take
Written for a plumber, best as a text post. We wrote it to show the shape. Yours would come from what you have already said.
Unpopular opinion: the cheapest quote is often the most expensive plumber you'll hire. A low quote usually means the hard part isn't in it yet. You find out when the wall is open and the price goes up. Ask every plumber what's not included. The answer tells you more than the number.
What it is
An opinion, with the reason attached
A hot take says one thing your market has not settled on, then gives the reason you believe it. Without the reason it is noise; with it, it is the post people quote back to you.
It is also the type you already have most of. The thing you say when a client repeats bad advice is a hot take before it is written down.
When to use a hot take
- You disagree with how your industry does something
- You keep correcting the same assumption
- You want replies, not just saves
- You can back the claim up in one line
Use something else when
- You are teaching a process - use a how-to trend in Quick Tip or Listicle
- You are proving it works - use Story / Case Study
- You have no reason behind the claim
- You are only trying to provoke - that is a different type
The trends
Four angles inside this type
The braces are where your role, industry and specifics go. Trends move with the feed - this list is what is landing now, not a permanent set.
In every format
The same take, four ways
One opinion - "posting daily is overrated" - built for each shape rather than resized into it.
Previews are placeholders - live drafts are built from your own material and brand kit.
What good looks like
The anatomy of a hot take that lands
Lead with the claim, not the setup
No "I have been thinking about this a lot lately". Say the thing in the first line and let the reader react.
Give one reason, not five
A single well-argued reason is more convincing than a list. The list belongs in a different type.
Name who it is aimed at
A take that applies to everyone applies to nobody. Say which situation you mean and the right people recognise themselves.
Leave the argument open
End on the claim rather than a neat bow. Replies are the point, and a closed post gives nobody anything to add.
Where it comes from
You said it this week without noticing
Hot takes are the easiest type to source, because you air them naturally when something annoys you.
CLIENT CALL
The moment you corrected something they had been told
VOICE NOTE
Two minutes of you being irritated about your industry
A LINK
An article you disagree with, and why
ONE TYPED LINE
The claim on its own - it builds the reasoning with you
FAQs
Hot takes, answered
A hot take is a strong, quickly shared opinion that goes against the usual view, stated plainly with one reason behind it.
Hot takes on the angles people are arguing about this week.
Type one line. The take and the reason come back in your brand, ready in 2 minutes and out to every channel.